Image: abc.net
Egyptian Minister of Energy, H.E. Tarek el-Molla together with six energy Ministers digitally signed the charter of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, bringing cooperation with other partners into a second, concrete phase.
Israel’s Minister of Energy, H.E. Yuval Steinitz; Cyprus’ Minister of Energy H.E. Yiorgos Lakkotrypis; Greece’s Minister of Energy, H.E. Kostis Hatzidakis; Jordan’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, H.E. Hala Zawati and Italy’s Minister of Economic Development, H.E. Stefano Patuanelli signed the charter last week.
The Gas Forum was established by H.E. Yuval Steinitz and H.E. Tarek el- Molla as a smaller, informal grouping to facilitate talks among Mediterranean countries about exporting natural gas, cooperating on various energy issues and advancing the construction of an undersea pipeline that would transfer the gas to the south of Europe.
‘’The blessing of gas brings regional cooperation with Arab and European countries, the first of its kind in history, including contracts to export $30 billion of blue-and-white gas to Jordan and Egypt, and that’s only the beginning,” said H.E. Steinitz.
The joint declaration stated that the new body “aims to serve as a platform that brings together gas producers, consumers and transit countries to create a shared vision and establish a structured systematic policy dialogue on natural gas, leading to the development of a sustainable regional gas market and unlocking the full gas resource potential in the region for the benefit and welfare of its people.”
